Skinceuticals Retinol 0.5%

I have been using this for a week now, at first my skin had no reaction to this cream, but this morning I woke up with red blotchy skin. I have put tons of moisturiser and sunscreen on but the red blotches are still there. Has anyone else experienced this? hope it's not going to be permanent

Are you using it every day? With lots of retinol products you need to give your skin time to acclimatise. So you start using it once every few days, building up to every other day and then every day over a period of a few weeks.

I've recently started using Triacneal which has retinaldehyde. I was a bit over enthusiastic at first, and used it every day. My skin couldn't tolerate it and I've had to scale back to using it once every few days for now. Like you I got red blotches, but my skin also stung when I put any product on it, and felt a bit raw IYKWIM.

Vitamin A derivatives can be quite potent. Your skin probably just needs time to get used to it.

I don't know why exactly it happens, just know that this can be a side effect of using products with a relatively high concentration of vitamin A derivative.

What I would advise is that you stop using it for a couple of days. Give your skin time to recover (the red blotches will go in a day or two) and then begin to use it again, but like I said before, build up the use gradually over time. You can build up to daily use over a period of a few weeks.

Skin recovery cream by Avene is extremely soothing and non irritating and designed for use after invasive dermatology treatments or chemical peels. It moisturises well, doesn't sting, and I found it really great for calming any irritation.

Also (I'm sure you know this already) but you really must use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 25 if you are using any form of vitamin A. It makes us much more sun sensitive as it thins the skin initially.

Yup - happened to me too! I started using it every other night, alternating with ROC Wrinkle Filler on the advice of my dermatologist. All fine and dandy for the first week, then skin started to get tight, and then I went bright red and sore. She said don't worry - that it was juts my skin getting used to it. Stopped using it until the redness had gone (about 5 days) and then took it right back to once a week, then building up to twice a week. I'm getting brilliant results with twice a week and my skin feels absolutely fine. You'll be fine!

I used lukewarm water morning and evening to cleanse and used loads of E45 which I just dabbed on and let it soak in. Reapplied E45 several times a day. I found everything else stung too much. Didn't try Sudocrem though....Don't be too put off the Retinol though. Used with the frequency that your skin can tolerate it is AWESOME stuff!!

cardamom I have been using cetreban bit like E45 but different, at the moment that's all my skin can take. I will go back to Retinol in a couple of weeks. Do you know if Skinceuticals ce ferulic is any good? I am using skinceuticals phloretin but don't really rate it that much.

I've been using CE ferulic for about a year and more recently have been alternating with Phloretin CF. What is it about the Phloretin that you don't like?

Did I give you the details of that Ebay store that sells individual 4ml vials of the Skin Ceuticals stuff? I know they do CE Ferulic, so you could try it for not that much money (one vial should last you at least a month) and see how it goes?

To be honest I made a huge change with all my skincare at the same time and whilst the cumulative effect has been amazing, I couldn't say what contribution individual products made. I introduced the Retinol separately, so I do know that made a big difference. I also introduced the Phloretin CF later and separately, and I suppose I can't say it has made a big difference. But the nurse at my dermatologist said it was also about prevention and damage control and that it works in a slightly different way to complement the CE Ferulic, so I suppose my thinking is that if my skin maintains its condition with this new regime, then I'm happy.

cardamom yes it was you that gave me the details of the ebay store. I don't know what it is about the phloretin, but after using at night I always wake up with really dry patches on my face. I have bought the ce ferulic, do you think it would be ok to use now, my face has calmed down a bit, but still not completely.

That doesn't sound good! Oh dear. Were you using it in conjunction with anything with any other active ingredient in it? I wouldn't use anything new on your face until you are completely healed and recovered. How's your face feeling today? I felt such an idiot when it happened to me. I don't know if you remember that episode of Sex and the City where Samantha had a chemical peel done just before an important 'do' and had to go in a black hat with a full face veil? Well, I felt a bit like that!

card yes I think I was using it with retinol and another vitamin c serum . I think I'm going to stay away from them for a couple a weeks or till my face recovers properly. At the moment I have really dry patches peeling of, first they were red, now they seem brown, oh no I really hope my face recovers and I don't have permanent pigmentation marks. How long did it take for your face to recover?

Ahhhh!!!!! I only use one active ingredient product per application session. Phloretin or CE Ferulic in the morning and ROC Wrinkle Filler or Retinol in the evening.

Maybe don't rule the Phloretin out completely, but the CE Ferulic might suit you better.

I was OK after 10 days. I did get redder and worse for the first couple of days though, even after stopping the Retinol. I didn't have any peeling as such, just redness. BRIGHT redness. Like bad sunburn. I'd wait until everything feels completely OK again - no (abnormal) dryness or redness, no irritation, no tightness, no stinging. Just loads of gentle moisturiser. If you are worried, can you get to see a dermatologist who deals with aesthetic stuff (probably better than your GP, although this would also be an option)? I think you will be fine though. Just need time to heal.

cardamom my face is healing, it does look better than it did a few days ago, yes definitely going to stay away from these active ingredients, I think cetreban will be my best friend for a while. When I do start with my skin regime, I will be using only one active ingredient at a time I think. The stinging feeling has gone away, just dry patches now, I'll see how I look in a couple of days.x

My face healed completely from very similar adverse side effects in 2 - 3 days. I then went back to using my retinol but took it slowly. I have recently used it a few nights in a row with no irritation so I can see my skin is building up a tolerance and acclimatising - yay!

On a positive note, the reason these side effects occur is because we're using products and active ingredients that actually work. I can already see results from the retinol - my skin looks fresher, smoother, clearer. So many skin care products (that can cost a bomb) just sit there on the skins surface not really doing anything. I'll never waste my money again.

I decided too, fairly recently, that my skin care regime needed a massive overhaul. I had skin that was good, but. The but was that I was still prone to spots and there always seemed to be something that needed covering with concealer. I never had loads of blemishes but there was always something either coming or going, and at 37 I was fed up with it. I did a lot of research online (Dr Sam Bunting's blog was invaluable) and decided I needed to start using only non comedogenic products and a retinoid.

So now I use Avene Triacneal after cleansing at night, and Vichy Normaderm Global Hydrating Care, which contains a fairly potent formula of both AHA's and BHA's after cleansing in the morning. I also sometimes use Alpha H vitamin serums in the morning as well. Then just simple, non comedogenic cleansers, moisturisers, and sun-block either side of the actives and that's it. It's early days, but like I said I can already see an improvement in my skin.

Soon I will look like a foundation advert and I will rejoice!

But there's definitely an initial stage to be got through as real active ingredients that work can be irritating. You just have to get through the first couple of weeks of pain, and then it will be worth it.

Thanks fuckit yes you are right about wasting money on products that don't work, I also wanted to do something serious about my skin. I have always been prone to break outs, and they would always leave a blemish behind. I think I am going to have a little break from the retinol and go back to it in the Autumn, I will continue with the phloretin and ce ferulic and vitamin c serum tho, I just think with the warm weather coming, I can't really take a risk with the retinol, as my skin does get sun burnt easily.

Yeah mine does too - I'm genetically programmed to live in a country where it rains 365 days a year! I can't venture out on a sunny day without my factor 50, that's for sure!

If you're prone to break outs, I would make sure any moisturisers you use are non comedogenic. Also BHA's, ie salycilic acid are fat soluble and so can actually go inside a blocked pore to clear it. Dermalogica overnight clearing gel is full of salycilic acid and is extremely gentle. I use it a lot if I break out and it never dries my skin out or causes any sort of reaction.

Glad to say that my face has recovered completely now, I have to thank cetreban for that . I have stopped the skinceuticals, as I don't think that particular cream suits my skin, but I will continue with retin a tho. I'm also using the skinceuticals ce ferulic and phloretin, must say the ferulic is lovely. The skinceuticals will be shipped of to ebay.